Cheese #3: Celtic Vintage Irish Cheddar with Malt Whisky

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. I picked this week's cheese in honor of this day. From what I know, I have Irish heritage but would not say St. Patrick's Day is something I look forward to each year. My most fond memories of St. Patrick's Day come from my childhood when each year our family's Rat Terrier (his love for cheese is mentioned in my personal history with cheese) would "get loose" and come back after being attacked by a leprechaun, all of his white fur died green. My brother and I later figured out this was our father's attempt at getting us excited about St. Patrick's Day. Usually the dog would remain green until mid-May when the dye finally all rubbed off.

Enough is enough, let's talk about the cheese of the week. To celebrate St. Patrick's Day I picked up a wedge of Celtic Vintage Irish Cheddar with Malt Whisky from our local DeKalb Farmers Market. I prefer going into my reviews with an open mind free of others opinions but this week as I was bragging to friends about my holiday themed choice and friend said to me, "I have had that cheese from the market before and it is not very good". I am happy to say that in my own kind opinion she was incorrect. I knew I was going to love this cheese from the second I picked it up. What was there for me not to love? I am supposedly Irish, I love malt whisky, anything vintage is cool and it is all mixed together in a beautiful white cheddar.

The cheese itself gets a solid four and a half stars in my book. It is once again not as versatile as the undisputed most pot of gold worthy cheese in the world, Colby Jack, but it is still pretty darn good. It came wrapped in wax for freshness unlike many other more snobby cheeses with their own protective rind. The cheese was perfectly sharp and crumbled wonderfully when it was cut or broken the way a dry cheese should. My friend with the incorrect opinion about this cheese said she ate most of hers with apples which improved the taste. While I thought the cheese was wonderful on its own, she was correct, apples were an awesome addition, making this cheese a well rounded snack. I have only two complaints with this cheese. The first is that I had high expectations for a stronger whisky taste in the cheese and my second is that this Irish cheese has to share part of its name with the oldest most washed up team in professional basketball. As I see it if those are truly the only two issues this must be a cheese you would be lucky to find at the other side of a rainbow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Peace, Love, and Cheese